In every well-equipped hospital, mobile hospital beds or ambulance gurneys are essential. They are mobile so patients may be moved to different services within the hospital for necessary medical procedures. First, a patient is transported on an ambulance gurney to the hospital emergency room. Then, the patient may be transferred to a hospital bed. From there the patient might be transported to radiology for various tests such as X-rays and CT scans. As we all know, life and death emergencies occur daily at hospitals and time is of the essence. Every second counts. Thus, it is essential that the travel path of a gurney or hospital bed in such an emergency be as clear and unimpeded as possible. A matter of seconds quite literally could mean life or death for patients.
However, hospitals, like other important establishments, must maintain the safety and security of the facility, the personnel, and patrons. This is equally as vital as quickly transporting injured patients. As a result, hospitals must install locked doors and security systems to keep unauthorized persons out while allowing authorized personnel in. Because of these necessary security measures, the travel time of a gurney or bed may be significantly magnified by obliging authorized personnel to frequently pause in order to authenticate themselves at each doorway. It cannot be overstated in these tenuous circumstances that time is of the essence.
Currently, authorization at each door involves a security reader, typically installed on a wall in the vicinity of the door. Some systems utilize a magnetically charged smart card or chip embedded security card for each authorized person to wear on their person. Authorization is achieved by bringing the smart card or card within a couple inches or centimeters of the reader. The reader is then able to see the smart card and the system either authenticates or rejects it. Upon authentication, the doors are unlocked, or opened automatically.
Obviously, it takes time to scan, read and authenticate the smart card. Thus, the medical professional must stop several times to perform the required verification, wasting precious time, which by no exaggeration, could mean life or death in a large number of cases.
Furthermore, employee safety is equally as important as patient safety. Each year, hospitals pay exorbitant amounts of money due to employee injuries. Those responsible for quick and safe transport of patients are at a much higher risk of injury due to constant pushing, pulling, and stopping required by the aforementioned security measures. Hospital beds and gurneys can weigh hundreds of pounds alone, and much more when occupied by large adult men or women. The added physical strain from each stop accumulates over time and significantly increases the risk of injury, and consequently workplace injuries.